Daniel a



(No Model.)

D.A.GARPENTER.

SAFETY PIN. No. 363,208. Patented May 17, 1887.

JZy.-% T I a J my 3 i uyuz UNTTED STATES EEICE.

PATENT SAFETY-PIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 363,208, dated May 1'7, 1887.

Application filed September], 1886. Serial No. 21?,366. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL A. CARPENTER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Safetylins, of which I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in safety-pins which are provided with shields, such as are usually formed out of thin blanks of sheet-brass or other material; and the invention consists of a safety-pin whose shield is constructed and which operates substantially as is herein described.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, Figure 1 is a view of my safety-pin when the sharpened member has been made to engage with the shield. Fig. 2 is a view of the same when this member is just about to be engaged with or disengaged from the shield. Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views on the line a: m, Fig. 1, the former showing a slot in one face and the latter slots in both faces of the shield. Fig. 5 shows the invention in a modified form.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures.

The object of this invention is to supply a safety-pin in which provision is made for more securely guarding in a convenient manner the point of the pin than is the case in any of the well-known safety-pins now in use.

The sharpened member a and coil or spring I) are the same in my pin as in numerous others, and constitute no part ofthe invention. The member 0, however, has formed at its free end a loop, 6, and may be bent near this end into'the shape indicated in Fig. 5; or it may be of the shorter form .represented in Figs. 1 and 2, which is the form that I prefer.

The shield A may have any convenient shape, and may be produced by any wellknown process, either from a blank or otherwise. It differs from the ordinary shield, so far as its construction is concerned, in having practically two complete faces, in the shape and position of its lateral opening or openings, and in the manner of its attachment to the member 0. The shield is united to the member c by meansof a pivot, 0, which passes through the shield and the loop 6, which is inserted between the faces of the shield, and the location of the pivot is near the outer end of the shield and close to either its back or front edge, according to the shape adopted for the member 0. A diagonal slot,f, affords a pas sage-way for the point of the pin in and out of the shield. There may be only a single slot, or, if desired, one may be placed in each face of the shield. WVhcn the member 0 is of the form shown in Fig. 5, the curved part It may be left fiush with the outer edges of the two faces of the shield, so as to impart to the latter a good finish, even though the faces should not bejoined at this point.

Such is the construction of my safety-pin. The shield, it will be observed, instead of being rigidly joined to the member 0 of the pin, in the usual manner, is permitted to turn upon the pivot 0 within certain limits, which are indicated in the drawings in Figs.-1 and 2. Care should be taken, however, to have the parts bound closely enough together by the pivot to prevent the shield from turning too freely, in which event annoyance might be caused in manipulating the pin, and, besides, it would also be likely to rattle.

The pin is attached to a piece of fabric-for example, by swinging the shield into the position indicated in Fig. 2, where, if it be not too loosely riveted to the member 0, itwill remain when left alone, and will present the slot f in the proper direction to receive the sharpened end of the member a, which, after having been passed through the fabric, is forced to engage with the shield by being introduced into the latter through the slot. As soon as the pressure which is necessary to effect this. result is removed the coil-spring b separates the members a and c as far as possible, and the shield forthwith assumes the position indicated in Fig. 1. In this state it rests unless disturbed by the application of further force.

To detach the pin from the fabric, the shield is turned sufficientl y to allow the member a to pass out through the slot, when the pin, like any other, can be readily withdrawn from the fabric.

The chief advantage which this pin is conceived to possess over others is found in the almost complete security with which its use is attended against any damage likely to result from the point of the pin becoming disengaged older and common styles of construction.

from the shield. Danger from this source is always felt to some extent when safety-pins of any of the ordinary varieties of construction are employed. In the pin herein described, however, the sharpened end is practically locked within the shield, for it can only become free when the member'a is brought within a certain distance of the member c and the shield is also tilted correspondingly, and, in addition, force is exerted to move the cndof the pin laterally as well as downward through the openingf, all of which conditions, it is manifest, will rarely, if ever, he accidentally present at the same time, inasmuch as the shield remains stationary, even when the member a is made to approach close to the member 0, unless acted upon by force applied directly to itself.

I It will be observed that between the inner end oftheslotf and the front edge ofthe shield is left a small portion of the face, which forms a lip, 12. This is to aid in keeping the pointedmember in place should the shield happen to get turned over by accident. The pin presents a neat appearance, and its use will be found equally as easy as that of safety-pins of the Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A safety-pin provided with a shield eonl str'ucted to turn about an axis substantially at right angles with the lateral surfaces of the shield.

2. A safety -pin provided with a turning shield secured by a pivot passing through the shield and through the unsharpened member of the pin. t

3. A safety-pin provided with ashield which turns about an axis substantially at right angles with the lateral surfaces of the shield, and in one position locks the point of the pin in the shield and in another position permits the disengagement of the point therefronu 4. Asafety-pin provided with ashield Winch turns about an axis substantially at right angles with the lateral surfaces of the shield and has an opening to admit the point of the pin within the shield,as and for the purpose described.

5. A safety pin having the following elements in combination: the sharpened member a, spring I), u nsharpened member 0, and shield A, pivoted near its outer edge to the member 0 and provided with a diagonal slot, f, all constructed and combined substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

DANIEL A. CARPENTER.

In presence of- G. M. PLYMPTON, CHAS. NIDA. 

